Research suggests link between fracking, rare childhood cancers

New research from the University of Pittsburgh suggests fracking may increase the risk of rare cancers and asthma.

Teams working on a pair of publicly funded studies filed through medical information in southwest Pennsylvania near large natural gas fracking operations. They found children were more likely to have rare cancers, and children and adults were more likely to have asthma flare-ups near fracking wells.

“Children who lived within one mile of one or more wells had 5 to 7 times the chance of developing lymphoma, a relatively rare type of cancer, compared to children who lived in an area without wells within 5 miles,” according to a release on the study.

Lymphoma is a broad cancer that can impact a person’s lymph nodes, bone marrow and other disease-fighting parts of the body in the lymph system. It has a generally high survivability rate compared to other cancers.

The incidence rate of lymphoma is about 0.0012 percent for Americans younger than 20 years old. In populations less than 5 miles from a fracking well, that increases to a rate between 0.006 percent and 0.0084 percent, the researchers said.

The areas the studies examined were home to nearly 47,000 asthma exacerbation cases and about 500 childhood cancer cases, determined via local health records. Researchers observed aggravated cases of asthma most frequently in the area during the production phase of fracking, when gas is drilled from the ground. 

“People with asthma have a 4 to 5 times greater chance of having an asthma attack if they live near unconventional natural gas development during the production phase,” the release read.

The studies were conducted at the request of southwest Pennsylvania residents, who reported concerns about the safety of fracking operations in the region. 

Residents initially expressed concerns about Ewing sarcoma, an extremely rare bone cancer with dozens of cases in the region. The studies found no significant connection between fracking and the bone cancer.

At an event announcing the results Tuesday, public health leaders warned the results may just be the beginning.

“[They are the] tip of the toxic iceberg, and we are only just beginning to understand what is out there,” said Raina Rippel, former director of the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project, adding there is “a lot more cancer waiting in the wings.”

The Pennsylvania study comes as fracking comes under mounting scientific scrutiny in recent years. An Environmental Protection Agency study in 2021 found that the process can negatively impact drinking water supplies.

The Marcellus Shale Coalition, the trade group representing fracking interests in the region, said some of the studies’ methodologies were “inherently flawed” and doubted the accuracy of the asthma findings. 

“As an industry rooted in science and engineering, we take objective and transparent research seriously. Past research based on actual field monitoring in Pennsylvania and nationwide demonstrates natural gas development is not detrimental to public health,” a coalition spokesman said in a statement. 

“Our industry’s commitment to the health and safety of our workers and the communities where we’re privileged to operate is second to none, as our members continue to responsibly supply clean, reliable domestic natural gas essential to modern life.”

A 2022 study in Pennsylvania found an increased risk of leukemia for children near fracking wells. The University of Pittsburgh study did not reproduce that finding in its research.

–Updated on Aug. 17 at 10:11 a.m.